


Scars

by Punkie



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Family Feels, Fluff, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 14:08:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14916794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Punkie/pseuds/Punkie
Summary: When a child runs away from home to get away from abusive parents, she runs into what seems like the end of the line with no where to go or anyone to turn to. However, when a scarred android decides to give her a helping hand, the two learn they have a lot in common, and might be able to help each other heal from their pains, and become the family each other always needed.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!   
> I had this idea in mind I wanted to try out, because I felt like giving Ralph some real family support would be good for him, and god he deserves so much more.   
> So please, enjoy, and let me know your thoughts on everything!

Four walls and a bed can have very different meanings depending on who you are, and what happens inside them. Generally, people think that it's the happiest place in the world, the place you can call home and feel warm and safe in. Four walls and a bed is just a room of sanctuary for most. 

Sometimes, those four walls and a bed can be like prison. 

Tracing bruises on her skin, a nine year old lays on her bed, trying her best to count minutes in her head. The four walls of her room were terrifying to her, a place that was slowly deteriorating her because of abusive parents. The walls felt like a place she couldn't escape, and with every passing day she felt like they were closing in on her. The room felt smaller and smaller the more time passed, and she couldn't take it anymore. 

She stops counting the minutes. It should be anytime now that she would hear the front door shut and lock. Her parents would leave, and she was going to give something a try. 

Click and lock. 

Her cue had come. Reaching under her bed, she pulled out an old damaged backpack, small and not even filled with what personal belongings she had. 

She was ready to run away, and never again look back at this house. She had no idea where she would go, where she would end up, or if she would even last long on her own. It didn't matter, as long as she wasn't here anymore. 

Peeking outside the door, she began cautiously walking out. Her eyes wandered worryingly, fearful that her parents would find her, and punish her for running away. When she was certain they weren't there, she kept on her way, and only looked back once before leaving it all behind. 

Her freedom gave her an overflow of emotion. She was relieved, it felt like she had finally escaped hell itself, and was now on her way to a whole new beginning. But it was scary too, because she had no idea where to go, or what would happen next. Everything was uncertain, and it was as equally bad as it was good. 

As she expected, the joys of freedom was short lived. People around her made her extremely anxious, especially when they gave her curious looks, and not many of them looked even remotely friendly. She had no idea where she was, had no money, and was getting very hungry. Nighttime came fast, and the dark streets weren't reassuring to her. 

As if to make everything worse, the night was cold, and it began to rain. She spotted what looked like an old abandoned house in the distance. This was her only possible chance to have shelter for the night, otherwise she would be sleeping in the rain.To her despair, it was behind a wire fence that she was unable to get through. 

Finally, she surrendered. Slowly sitting on the sidewalk, she felt cries overtake her, and there was nothing she could do about it. Drenched, shivering, and no place to go, everything felt like it was trult falling apart. She had no one left in the world to go to that wouldn't hurt her, and she couldn't even last one day on her own. She was alone, with nothing left to give, and was finally surrendering it all.


	2. A Guest

Ralph had been on a late night walk. They were nice sometimes for clearing his mind and getting out of the cramped house. However, tonight his walk would be cut short as he felt a few raindrops fall from the sky. It would be raining hard soon, and he'd prefer to not be far away from home when it came. 

It didn't take long to get home, but it was raining much harder when he arrived. He'd expected that, and was just thankful that he'd made it home before it got any worse. Before he made it passed the fence, he froze in place at something he heard in the distance. It sounded like... crying? Turning his head, his gaze locked on a shadow hunched over, a little farther down the fence. Startled, Ralph jumped back and set his hand on the knife in his pocket, ready for whatever could come his way. 

He wasn't noticed, so instead of jumping out, he decided to take a moment to observe. The figure was rather small... a crying child? Why were they out in the rain this late, all by themselves? Hesitantly, he lowered his hand from the knife, and took a few cautious steps foward. 

The child now heard him and looked up, and it was her turn to jump back in surprise. She didn't expect anyone to be out at this time, and he sure had scared her. 

Ralph blinked, taking a moment to register everything. A moment ago, he was worried that this would be a human. But a human child, out by themselves in the cold rain? This wasn't right! 

Quickly crouching, Ralph tried to make her less scared. "Ralph is sorry, he didn't mean to frighten you!" He held his hands up, still crouching. The child still didn't speak, but instead wiped away her tears as quickly as possible, not taking her eyes off of the android. "Why are you by yourself in the rain? Little girls should be with their families." Ralph asked, wondering if he'd be able to convince her to speak. 

Ralph noticed that she seemed uncomfortable by the question, and regretted having asked her. "Uh... I don't have a family. I'm by myself..." she finally spoke, her voice almost inaudible. Ralph frowned, not happy with the answer. All children were suppose to have a family, they shouldn't be alone like she was. He could sense she was hiding something, and worried it wasn't something good. 

It was getting colder outside, and she was starting to shiver. All of this was starting to stress Ralph, and after a moment of looking at his house anxiously, he turned back to the girl. 

"You can stay with Ralph, if you don't have anywhere to stay." He finally spoke, deciding there was no way he could leave her out here by herself. It was dangerous, and there were bad humans out there. He pointed to the house she'd tried to get into earlier, offering it to her if she wanted. 

There was a long pause of thought. She knew she shouldn't trust strangers, but at this point everyone would be a stranger, and she needed to trust somebody. This android seemed nice enough, and she just needed somewhere to stay out of the rain. She finally nodded, slowly standing up from the spot she'd been sitting in. 

Ralph couldn't hold back the pleased smile that spread across his face. He was worried she wouldn't trust him and stay out in the rain all night. "Come on, it's just this way! Ralph apologizes for the mess inside, he doesn't usually get visitors." He admitted, leading her around to an area of the fence she'd be able to enter. Without commenting on the house, she followed where he led her. 

"I like your name, Ralph. My name is Jace." 

________________________________

Once inside, Ralph worked quickly. "Don't worry, Ralph is going to make you a nice place to stay tonight!" He said, seemingly excited to have a guest in his home. Jace only nodded in response as he quickly moved around his home. Ralph felt a bit anxious - the more time had gone on, the more this place deteriorated. He hadn't put any work into this house at all, and he was really regretting it right now. 

Taking some old curtains, he shook them off and made a little bed by the fireplace, which he was sure to light as soon as possible. Jace was freezing cold, and needed to get warm as soon as possible. Once the fire was lit, Ralph looked eagerly back at Jace, gesturing to the setup he'd made. 

"For the child!" He said, hoping greatly that she'd like it. Everything in this house was a mess, and everything was covered in dust, but it was a place to stay. Despite the condition of everything, something still felt better about this than if she was staying at home. Here, she at least felt welcome, and she didn't really feel like she had to fear Ralph hurting her. 

"Thank you." She said quietly, cautiously making her way to sit on the blankets. Ralph also sat, but not too close to her. He didn't want to frighten her or make her uncomfortable. Now in the light, Jace was able to get a good look at Ralph, and she was surprised to see the scars that covered the side of his face. She couldn't see all of that in the dark outside. 

"Ralph... you're hurt..." she said carefully. Ralph frowned, looking away from her as his brows pressed together. Slowly, she reached out her hand and very gently touched the side of his face. Ralph tensed up, but tried relaxing knowing that she meant no harm by it. "It can't be fixed, don't fret about that now. Ralph is fine. " he assured her, turning his head away from her hand. 

Jace pulled her hand back, looking apologetic. Ralph smiled again, trying to think of a way to possibly change the subject. "It's late, and you need to get rest. Humans get sick if they don't get rest." He stood up, getting ready to head to his room and let Jace sleep for the night. Before he could walk away, she called out to him. 

"Ralph," her voice sounded as if she was worried about something. Instantly his attention was back on her, any thoughts of walking away gone. "What is it?" 

"Do you think you could maybe, stay here with me tonight?" She questioned, seeming as if she felt stupid for asking. Ralph was taken off guard a bit, not expecting her to have requested that, but didn't hesitate to kneel next to her bed. "Of course Ralph will stay if you'd like him to. But why?" He questioned, trying to figure out a way to position himself comfortably for the night. 

She shuffled with her hands nervously, looking as if she might be getting choked up a bit. "I just... don't want to be alone, that's all." Ralph blinked, sensing that she was fearful of being alone. He wasn't sure what happened to this girl, but from personal experience he could tell it wasn't good, and it was making him feel angry at whoever had done this. 

"Ralph will be right here, you won't be alone." He assured her, finally finding the perfect spot. Jace nodded, laying on the makeshift bed and keeping close enough to Ralph that she'd be able to tell if he'd leave. Deep inside, she was fearful that he'd leave her while she slept, and that she'd wake up all alone again. 

Ralph wouldn't leave though, and deep inside he knew that he shared the same fear as Jace - he didn't want to be alone. 

"Goodnight Ralph." Jace said through a yawn before closing her eyes.   
"Goodnight Jace, please sleep well! Ralph will be right here when you wake up." 

As she drifted off to sleep, Ralph couldn't help but smile a bit at the warm feeling of having a guest. It had been a long time since anyone had been around, and even longer that he'd met someone who was kind. Maybe she'd stick around, and he'd even be able to help her out.


	3. Happiness Spreads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this when it was really late and on my phone, so sorry if there's typos oh God

The night was comfortable for once. 

This was true for the both of them - Jace, who was able to sleep peacefully and for as long as she needed, and for Ralph who for once spent a night not alone. His mind raced with thoughts about this small child as she slept. 

What happened to her family? Did someone hurt her? Did she have anywhere to go from here? And the one thing that lingered on his mind the most; was she going to stay here now? 

Ralph couldn't lie to himself - he was worried about this kid. Children held kindness and innocence, and after meeting her last night, he truly wanted to be sure that she was going to be okay. He always wanted a family of his own, and those feelings only came stronger when he felt like helping and protecting this child. 

There was a small piece in him that felt a bit peaceful and maybe even excited that she was here though, because it could potentially mean helping her be happy, and giving him company for awhile. 

Ralph blinked, his thoughts cut short when Jace started to stir. He realized that the night had finally passed, and that she was finally waking up. With all his thinking, the night had went by pretty quickly. 

Jacw opened her eyes, turning her groggy gaze over to the android. "... You're still here. " she said quietly. For the most brief of moments, Ralph caught a glimpse of a small smile. 

Overjoyed by this, Ralph gave her a wide and toothy grin. "Of course Ralph is! He's not going anywhere." He said, sitting up. Jace also slowly rose, stretching as she did so. Raising her arms in the air to stretch, her sleeves fell slightly, and Ralphs eyes locked on her. 

Bruises ran along her arms, and he was able to conclude they weren't from just playing outside. His toothy smile was gone, and instead he frowned, a very serious expression on his face. 

"Where did you get those bruises?" He questioned her, his voice low. 

Jace quickly moved her arms down and pulled her sleeves back over her. She crossed her arms and looked away from Ralph, her body language looking pained and uncomfortable. Ralph gritted his teeth, knowing that her reaction only confirmed his suspicions. 

"They're nothing, Ralph." She finally spoke when he didn't say anything. 

"Ralph would never hurt you." He suddenly said. Jace turned her head and looked at him now. Though nothing was said, Jace understood what he meant by that, and she nodded at him. 

Very slowly, Ralph reached his hand out and placed it on her shoulder. She tensed up a bit at first, which made Ralph feel a mixture of anger and sadness, but she slowly relaxed. 

"Does Jace have anywhere to go from here? A different family, a different home? Ralph can help get you there, all you need to do is ask." He said to her, a smile forming on his face. Jace shook her head. "The only family and home I had was with my parents, and I ran away from them last night." She responded. Then, she looked up at Ralph, almost panicked. 

"You won't make me go back to them, will you?" She asked quickly. Jace was very tense now, had the familiar look of being extremely anxious, and was on the brink of crying again. Ralph blinked, his face turned serious again when he heard her speak, registering that it was her parents that were the problem. He quickly put on a smile of reassurance though, and shook his head. 

"Of course not! Ralph wouldn't do anything to make the child unhappy." Jace relaxed a lot at that, taking a deep breath. "Thank you." She whispered. 

He really wished she hadn't done that. A child shouldn't have to thank someone for keeping them safe and happy, it should just be that way. He only smiled and stood up, offering a hand to her. "Come on, Ralph will show you around!" He said welcomingly. After a moment of consideration, she reached out and took his hand, standing with him. Once she was up, Ralph was nearly hopping with excitement as he started to lead her around. 

"It's been a long time since Ralph had had a visitor, so please excuse the mess!" He said to her apologetically. Jave followed behind him, slightly amused by how giddy this guy was. "I don't mind, Ralph." 

He showed her the kitchen, the living room, and everything upstairs. Ralph was grateful that he'd recently gotten rid ogg the body that was in the tub - there was no way he'd ever want her to see that. Jace enjoyed every part of the tour, but wondered why ralph had let the house get so bad. She wondered if maybe they'd be able to try and clean it up a bit. 

"So what do you think?" He asked, looking expectantly for an answer. He hoped for a good review, considering how well he had given the tour, and hoped that the child would like it around here. Jace did one last look around her surroundings before turning to Ralph again. "I like it." She said simply. Ralph grinned, shuffling a bit in his spot. 

"Well that's just lovely! Since you like it, would you like to stay awhile? Because it's dangerous out there without a family, and Ralph wouldn't mind having you here since you like it!" 

Jace was a bit surprised by all of that, and took a moment to think about it all. There was no telling what would happen here, but she knew that she had nothing outside of here to go to. No home, no friends or family, no goal in mind. So, until she could figure out what she'd be doing next, this didn't seem like too bad of an option. Ralph was awfully nice anyways, and it felt like she could maybe see this being a temporary home. 

"I'd like to stay Ralph, as long as it's okay with you." She finally responded, nodding at him. Ralph grinned from ear to ear, crouching in front of her. "Ralph is so happy you're going to stay! He's going tui make sure that you'll be happy in your new home." 

The way he was filled with excitement and happiness about her staying around was spreading. Jace couldn't help but smile a bit in return to him. His genuine happiness about all of this, and the way he spoke, it really made her believe that he really would try to make her happy.


End file.
